FEMA public assistance explained

Adam Sodders

Writer

asodders@timesrepublican.com

There will be many more steps on the road to recovery for public entities and structures in Marshalltown after the July 19 tornado.

Officials from the city and county government, as well as local agencies like Marshalltown Area United Way, Youth and Shelter Services of Marshall County, Mid-Iowa Community Action and more got information on next steps at a meeting Tuesday with state emergency management officials.

Here are the steps, separated into four stages, local officials must got through to get Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) public assistance funding:

Stage 1 — Pre-Declaration:

•Preliminary damage assessment (complete)

•State/territory/tribe submits declaration request within 30 days of incident (complete)

•Presidential declaration (complete)

Stage 2 — Applicant collaboration:

•Funding applicant briefings on next steps (complete)

•Applicants submit Requests for Public Assistance (RPAs) within 30 days of presidential declaration

•FEMA approves applicant RPAs

•FEMA holds meeting to decide the scope of recovery within 21 days of RPA approval

Stage 3 — Funding formulation:

•Applicant identifies and reports all damage within 60 days of recovery scoping meeting

•Scope of work and project costs developed

•FEMA officials and funding recipients hold exit briefing

Stage 4 — Funding:

•FEMA gives funds to recipient

•Subrecipient completes work and requests closeout of its project(s)

•Recipient certifies completion within 180 days of project completion and FEMA closes project(s)

•FEMA closes the subrecipient

•FEMA closes the Disaster Public Assistance Program Award

For more information and to see definitions used by FEMA for public assistance awards, go to the FEMA media library.